Fighting in Yemen oil region kills 26

At least 26 fighters were killed in clashes on Monday between pro-government troops and rebels over control of an oil-rich region east of the Yemeni capital, military sources said. “Pro-government forces launched a military operation today to retake Sarwah,” a loyalist military source said of the only part of Marib province still held by the rebels who have controlled nearby Sanaa since September 2014. Clashes and air raids by the Saudi-led coalition backing Yemen’s internationally recognised government “killed 16 rebels and left dozens wounded”, the source said.